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Flexo Quality Consortium FQC LogoFor the Standards Working Group (SWG), the fall of 2018 saw a large number of ballots moving through from the documents that were to be completed prior to the fall plenary meetings of ISO TC 130, held Oct. 14-19 at Kikai Shinko Kaikan Building in Tokyo, Japan.

Below are the actions that have occurred since the September update, including at the fall meeting, and are of interest to the FTA community.

ISO/TC 130 Graphic Arts – Standards of Interest to Flexography

This document points to CGATS Technical Reports, ASTM procedures and other ISO standards where applicable. This could be used as an audit by an individual, a third party or for ISO 9000 or 90001 workflow points, or for a Flexographic Image Reproduction Specifications & Tolerances (FIRST) or Brand Owner Certification.

This document was approved without comments, recommended for publication by the plenary meeting and sent to ISO HQ

FQC Update

The High Resolution Printing team is aggressively finishing up its trials and is analyzing data. We anticipate a very engaging and informative report out during the FQC Session, “FQC: Research Is the Key to a Successful Flexo Future,” at Forum 2019!

We are also going to be conducting a survey of each segment of the membership to help us focus our approach to the Environmental Impacts on Inks project. When you receive your survey, please take some time to fill it out and contribute to this important project.

The group came up with the following proposal to make the document:

Title: Graphic technology – Guidelines for multicolor printing

Scope: This technical specification defines one procedure to generate a multicolor characterization data set. This specification provides a description example of color printing with CMYK + OGV.

Steve and Sam are to prepare Form 04 and a working draft (WD), and send it to ISO/TC 130 for New Work Item (NWI) ballot.

The previous project leader, who had been unable to draft even a scope on this in the past three years, has been successful in delaying this work further, as this action is to start over. Still, the FTA will be driving this as it moves forward, and some FTA member companies have already volunteered to make pressruns to provide the aim data. Any FTA member who wishes to contribute to the development of this standard on 7+color process printing should contact Sam

If you would like to review and comment on any of the upcoming ballots on these standards, please contact FTA Director of Education Joe Tuccitto.

Jean Engelke FTA FFTA Board HeadshotAbout the Authors: Jean Engelke is the chair of FTA’s Flexo Quality Consortiumand a member of FTA’s Board of Directors and FFTA’s Board of Trustees. She has earned an AAS in graphic and design technology, a B.A. in printing management, an MBA and an M.A. in industrial engineering management. Jean started her career teaching printing and paper science at Western Michigan University. She has held positions in R&D, engineering and global product marketing with Appleton Papers, Alcan Packaging and Kodak. Most recently, she served as the business development manager – packaging group for RR Donnelley. In 2017, she received the FTA President’s Award.

Dr. Danny Rich obtained a master’s degree in physics in 1977 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA, and in 1980 completed a Ph.D. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 1998, he joined Sun Chemical Corp to direct the Sun Chemical Color Research Laboratory in the Daniel J. Carlick Technical Center in Carlstadt, NJ. He has been awarded the Nickerson Service award from the Inter-Society Color Council in 1999, the National Printing Ink Manufacturers award for Technical Achievement in 2008, a Thomas Alva Edison award for innovation by the Research Council of New Jersey in 2008, the Robert F. Reed Medal from the Printing Industries of America in 2013 and the Mattiello Memorial Award from the American Coatings Association in 2015.